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Explore London

RECIPE: Basil Seed and Lime Friands

My friend’s dog died recently. I have to declare that I’m not really a doggy person, but Frisco was a chilled and laid-back kind of sausage, and in his quietness, he let me grow quite fond of him.

He wasn’t bouncy or brash or ballsy, but you always knew he was present. We built up to a level of mutual respect, Frisco and I. Nothing too flamboyant, but I’d tip my hat to him and he’d courteously nod back. In reality, this meant he’d rest his chin on my foot and I’d pretend not to notice.

We had a small gathering the day after the octogenarian passed away. Someone commented on the inappropriateness of the ‘sausages’ as part of the barbeque, but I thought Frisco would have found this hilarious. I made a batch of these friands and formed them into the letter F. He wasn’t much of a gourmand, and I think he’d have found the whole ‘basil seed’ thing quite pretentious, but in the role so often played by food, this batch of friands served as a vessel for a whole raft of emotions at play that balmy summer’s night.

Dotted with blueberries and speckled with flecks of lime zest this rustic, ramshackled formation of friands felt humble and noble all at the same time. Much like Frisco himself. RIP.